THE FESTIVE season officially kicks off with Black Friday as stores discount everything from technology, and toys to toasters, but savvy shoppers can bag a bargain and make some money using cashback sites.

Websites such as Quidco and TopCashback offer cashback on purchases at major retailers both in-store and online and you can join this Black Friday.

You could earn up to 20 per cent and it’s all tax-free as the money is treated as a discount rather than income.

Quidco says active members can earn on average £280 per year.

Ultimately, the more you spend through cashback websites the more you could earn back, but you need to make sure you are not paying over the odds in the first place.

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Here is what you need to know when using cashback websites.

How do they work?

Cashback websites do what they say on the tin. You get money back on your spending.

You can get cashback on everyday items such as groceries or clothes as well as on your energy bills or financial products.

They get paid from adverts from retailers on their site or through paid-per-click affiliate links where they earn a fee each time you click through to a deal.

Quidco and TopCashback are the most well-known players and are free to join. Both also offer an enhanced service that takes £5 of your annual earnings in return for improved rates, faster payments and no adverts.

Other smaller companies may charge fees or require a certain amount of cashback to be accumulated before you can release funds.

To earn cashback you need to search for deals through a provider based on the type of item you are looking for.

Retailers will offer either a percentage of what you spend or an actual sum.

For example, Curry’s is offering 11 per cent cashback on dashcams. So you could buy a MIO MiVue 698 Dual Dash Cam already discounted to £149 and get an extra £16 back.

You can view the best cashback rates on offer as well as payment times and reviews by customers.

You then need to follow links from the cashback website through to the relevant retailer to complete your purchase.

Some will also let you earn cashback in-store if your card is registered on the website.

Once the cashback is tracked and approved by the retailer you can withdraw it from your online account and transfer to your bank, PayPal or to a gift card.